ALABAMA
Coach: Kalen DeBoer (20-8, second season; 124-20 overall)
2025: 11-4 (7-1, T-1 SEC)
Buzz: The Crimson Tide finished the regular-season tied atop the SEC standings, but a 28-3 beatdown by Georgia in the SEC Championship and 38-3 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals were an ignominious end to 2025. DeBoer has a new offensive coordinator in Ryan Grubb and quarterback questions after losing Ty Simpsion, but improving Alabama’s run game is critical after the Tide averaged just 3.4 yards a carry and 104.1 yards. The defense features top-end talent, including potiental first-round picks in linebacker Yhonzae Pierre and cornerback Zabien Brown. But a team picked to finish sixth in the SEC is unacceptable in Tuscaloosa.
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ARKANSAS
Coach: Ryan Silverfield (first season; 50-25 overall)
2025: 2-10 (0-8, 16th SEC)
Buzz: Silverfield’s offensive acumen made Memphis a top Group of Five program, but he inherits a team that was winless during SEC play in 2025 and faces a schedule widely considered the nation’s toughest in 2026. Veteran tailback Braylen Russell is a solid building block, but the Razorbacks are inexperienced at quarterback and counting on transfers on the offensive line. Edge rusher Quincy Rhodes Jr. is special after recording 15.5 tackles for loss. But aside from him, linebacker Bradley Shaw and former Gator Miguel Mitchell at safety, the Hogs are also rebuilding on defense.
AUBURN
Coach: Alex Golesh (first season; 23-15 overall)
2025: 5-7 (1-7, T-13 SEC)
Buzz: Golesh arrives from USF to revive an attack that cratered under Hugh Freeze and hasn’t finished in the top 50 in scoring nationally since 2019. Quarterback Byrum Brown followed his coach from Tampa, where he twice eclipsed 3,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards in the same season. Brown is one of 10 transfers, five of them from USF, expected to start on offense. Six transfers also are projected to start on defense, where All-SEC linebacker candidate Xaiver Atkins is the lone returning starter.
FLORIDA
Coach: Jon Sumrall (first season; 43-12 overall)
2025: 4-8 (2-6, T-11 SEC)
Buzz: Florida’ fourth coach since 2017, Sumrall reached the conference title game twice each at Troy and Tulane and won 11 games three times. Similar success in Gainesville would be ambitious, but the program’s second winning season since 2020 would qualify as progress. Hiring offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner away Georgia Tech was a coup. If a reliable quarterback emerges between Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr. and the offensive line comes together, the Gators have plenty of playmakers, led by 1,000-yard rusher Jadan Baugh. Florida also could field its best front seven in years, with linebacker Myles Graham and edge rusher Jayden Woods emerging stars. The secondary remains less certain, but veteran safety Bryce Thornton is a proven playmaker.
GEORGIA
Coach: Kirby Smart (117-21, 11th season)
2025: 12-2 (7-1, T-1 SEC)
Buzz: The gap has narrowed, but Georgia remains the team to beat after defeating Alabama 28-3 in the SEC Championship to capture the Bulldogs’ third conference title in four seasons. Smart returns 14 starters, including quarterback Gunner Stockton, who seeks greater consistency during Year 2 in the role. Veteran tailback Nate Frazier will run behind a line anchored by one of the nation’s top centers in Drew Bobo and left tackles in Earnest Greene III. Linebacker Raylen Wilson, cornerback Ellis Robinson IV and safety KJ Bolden spearhead another elite defense.
KENTUCKY
Coach: Will Stein (first season)
2025: 5-7 (2-6, T-11 SEC)
Buzz: Few displayed Stein’s confidence at SEC Media Days. But the league’s youngest head coach, at age 36, inherits a program without the talent advantage he enjoyed as Oregon’s offensive coordinator the past three seasons. Stein will build his innovative attack around former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey and tailback CJ Baxter, a former Edgewater standout who arrives from Texas. Six more transfers are projected to start alongside them. Former Florida assistant Jay Bateman will call the defense, which returns linebacker Sam Greene, safety Ty Bryant and edge rusher Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace, while adding several key transfers, including former Florida defensive backs Jordan Castell and Aaron Gates.
LSU
Coach: Lane Kiffin (first season; 116-53 overall)
2025: 7-6 (3-5, 10th SEC)
Buzz: The Tigers expect a quick turnaround after luring Kiffin away from Ole Miss and beating out Florida for the 51-year-old offensive guru. The self-proclaimed “Portal King,” Kiffin signed 43 transfers, highlighted by quarterback Sam Leavitt (Arizona State) and left tackle Jordan Seaton (Colorado) on offense and edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen and linebacker TJ Dottery, who followed Kiffin from Oxford. Former Florida receiver Tre Wilson could be a steal. Two of the SEC’s top defenders in Whit Weeks and cornerback DJ Pickett return to spearhead respected coordinator Blake Baker’s defense. Anything less than a CFP push from one of the nation’s highest-priced rosters and staffs would be a disappointment.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Coach: Jeff Lebby (7-18, third season)
2025: 5-8 (1-7, T-13 SEC)
Buzz: The Bulldogs have made steady progress in Lebby’s two seasons, even reaching a bowl game at 5-7 and pushing Wake Forest during a 43-29 loss in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor seized the starting job by season’s end and is a dangerous dual-threat talent. The Bulldogs must improve their offensive line to help him thrive. Zach Arnett returns to coordinate the defense after excelling under the late Mike Leach before a failed one-year stint to replace him as head coach. Cornerback Kelly Jones is a first-round talent and one of six returning starters, while safety Isaac Smith was productive. Developing a pass rush is imperative after Mississippi State managed just 21 sacks in 2025.
MISSOURI
Coach: Eli Drinkwitz (49-29, seventh season; 58-30 overall)
2025: 8-5 (4-4, T-8 SEC)
Buzz: With 29 wins during the past three seasons, Missouri trails only Georgia, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss in the SEC over that span. Drinkwitz returns SEC rushing leader Ahmad Hardy and backup Jamal Roberts, who combined 2,402 yards and 22 touchdown on the ground, along with a veteran offensive line anchored by All-SEC left tackle Cayden Green. Ole Miss transfer quarterback Austin Simmons, a former Florida commit, and three new starting receivers can keep defenses honest. The biggest challenge, though, is replacing 11 starters from a defense that allowed an average of just 18.9 points, the Tigers’ best mark since 2015.
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OKLAHOMA
Coach: Brent Venables (32-20, fifth season)
2025: 10-3 (6-2, T-5 SEC)
Buzz: The program’s first CFP appearance since four berths in five seasons from 2015-19 earned Venables added job security. The Sooners could be as complete as any SEC team if quarterback John Mateer returns to the form he showed prior to a thumb injury in late September. A Heisman contender at the time, Mateer missed just one game, but Oklahoma never again topped 400 yards of offense. The defense picked up the slack and features elite talent, including leading tackler Kip Lewis, sacks leader Taylor Wein and a secondary with three returning starters.
OLE MISS
Coach: Pete Golding (2-1, first season)
2025: 13-2 (7-1, T-1 SEC)
Buzz: Golding guided the Rebels to a pair of CFB wins and a near-upset of Miami after Kiffin’s abrupt departure to LSU. With quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, tailback Kewan Lacey and three starting O-linemen back, the Rebels should be potent again offensively, though Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. will be missed. Sugar Bowl MVP Will Echoles at tackle and linebacker Suntarine Perkins anchor a formidable front seven, while starting cornerbacks Antonio Kite and Jaylor Braxton also return to face a difficult schedule that ESPN ranks fifth nationally.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Coach: Shane Beamer (49-29, seventh season; 58-30 overall)
2025: 4-8 (1-7, T-13 SEC)
Buzz: The Gamecocks followed a surprising 9-4 season in 2024 with a four-win campaign, losing eight of their final 10 games. Preseason All-SEC quarterback LaNorris Sellers struggled, throwing just 13 touchdowns while absorbing 43 sacks. Elite edge rusher Dylan Stewart endured a sophomore slump, posting 4.5 sacks after recording 6.5 in 2024. South Carolina is counting on bounce-back seasons from its two stars and another big step from receiver Nyck Harbor, who averaged 20.6 yards and scored six touchdowns on 30 receptions. Kendal Briles becomes South Carolina’s fourth offensive coordinator under Beamer and will need the line to improve dramatically, while Stewart can’t shoulder the entire burden up front if “Beamer Ball” is survive in Columbia.
TENNESSEE
Coach: Josh Heupel (45-20, sixth season; 72-28 overall)
2025: 8-5 (4-4, T-8 SEC)
Buzz: The Vols were out of playoff contention by November and closed 2025 with losses to Vanderbilt and Illinois and failed to beat a team with a winning record. The offensive-minded Heupel returns 1,000-yard rusher DeSean Bishop and four starters up front, but needs 5-star freshman Faizon Brandon to emerge at quarterback. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles arrives from Penn State to revive a unit that allowed an average of 28.8 points (14th in the SEC) despite generating 20 turnovers and 37 sacks. Senior linebacker Arion Carter and sophomore cornerback Ty Redmond return, but there are questions abound throughout the defense.
TEXAS
Coach: Steve Sarkisian (48-209, sixth season; 93-55 overall)
2025: 10-3 (6-2, T-5 SEC)
Buzz: Sarkisian returns quarterback Arch Manning, who threw 15 touchdowns in the final five games, and SEC sacks leader Colin Simmons. Meanwhile, Texas also welcomes a star-studded transfer class featuring Auburn receiver Cam Coleman and running backs Raleek Brown (Arizona State) and Hollywood Smothers (N.C. State). Left tackle Trevor Goosby, who allowed just a single sack in 2025, leads an O-line that surrendered six sacks in a stunning loss at Florida and must improve. Former Florida coach Will Muschamp takes over the defense — his first play-calling role since Auburn in 2015 — after the Longhorns finished in the middle of the pack of the SEC defensively. Few rosters are more talented or high priced. Anything short of a deep CFB run would be a disappointment.
TEXAS A&M
Coach: Mike Elko (19-7, third season; 35-16 overall)
2025: 11-2 (7-1, T-1 SEC)
Buzz: Elko has built a winner and energized Kyle Field’s 12th Man, but consecutive losses spoiled last season’s 11-0 start. Quarterback Marcel Reed is a dynamic athlete but must become a consistent passer. The return of All-SEC receiver Mario Crave and leading Rueben Owens II should help, but center Mark Nabou Jr. is the lone returning starter on the offensive line. Defensively, A&M returns three starters in the secondary but must rebuild the front seven after finishing fourth nationally in sacks. A similar challenge exisited in 2025, however, and Elko fielded the physical team that has become his trademark.
VANDERBILT
Coach: Clark Lea (26-336, sixth season)
2025: 10-3 (6-2, T-5 SEC)
Buzz: The 2025 Commodores produced the program’s first 10-win season in 136 years. But Heisman finalist Diego Pavia leaves a massive void at quarterback. If five-star recrujit Jared Curtis is the real deal, he’ll have an impressive group of weapons, including senior receiver Junior Sherrill, All-SEC tight end candidate Cole Spence and East Carolina transfer Jayvontay Conner, who replaces All-SEC performer Eli Stowers in the flex role. On the other side of the ball, the defensive-minded Lea will feature seven players with Power 4 starting experience, including five returning starters. Vandy is a tougher out than ever, but some regression feels inevitable.
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Edgar Thompson can be reached at [email protected].